When it comes to solving social problems, can business fill the gap left by government?
Vox reports that on issues like guns, immigration, health care, and climate change, Americans are increasingly putting pressure on businesses to act when they believe government will not. Commenting on this phenomenon, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker told reporter Emily Stewart he recognizes that “when presented with government that is not responding to the desires of the citizenry, citizens are looking for other ways to change public policy.” But when it comes to real solutions, he said, it’s complicated: “It’s problematic to believe that the private sector can be a proxy for government, and so we need our government to be responsive to the citizenry.”
Published in Vox | March 20, 2018
Americans are losing faith in the government to solve their problems — and turning to corporations instead
By Emily Stewart
The aftermath of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, led to some real changes around guns in America — but it was corporations, not Congress, leading the way.
Dick’s Sporting Goods promised to end assault weapons sales. Walmart and Dick’s stopped selling guns to people under the age of 21. Delta, Hertz, and MetLife cut ties with the National Rifle Association. And the public called for more: Pressure mounted on Wall Street firms to divest their holdings in gun stocks. Andrew Ross Sorkin at the New York Times went so far as to suggest in February that banks bar sales of firearms using their products and services, essentially stepping in on guns where the government won’t.
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The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.